Measuring instrument.



B. H. PRESTON.

MEAS URING INSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED AUG.9. 191s.

Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

ATTORNEY MEM UBHEG WSTBUMENT.

specification of Letters JPatent.

. Patented an. a, rare.

' Application filed august 9, 1916. serial No. 113,927.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that ll, BEN H. Pnns'ron, a citizen of the United States,residin at Monroe, in the county of Green and tate of Wisconsin, haveinventedcertain new and useful improvements in Measuring instruments, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates broadly to measuring instruments, and moreparticularly has reference to that class known as a straight edge typehaving both sliding and pivotal adjustment.

It is a well known fact that carpenters and particularly stair buildersencounter serious diiiiculty in providing perfect joints. For instance,in constructing box stairs it was formerly customary to first cut theside pieces or stringers and then nail them to the walls but it wasseldom that a square joint out on the risers or treads would fit.Therefore as the primary object of this invention it is contemplated toprovide an instrument that can be used to advantage when constructing aflight of stairs, the 1nstrument itself being arranged in a smallcompact form when not in use that can be readily extended and associatedwith slde pieces the stringers of a flight of stairs or associated withother work in procuring correct measurements.

It is another object of this invention to provide an instrument formedin two slidably' connected sections that can'be readily extended, meansbeing associated therewith for holding the sections in various adjustedpositions with respect to each other.

It is also contemplated by this invention to provide each of thesections with means for movably receiving blades as well as meansassociated with the sections and blades for removably holding the bladesin various positions of angular adjustment with respect to the sections.

A still further object of my invention resides in the provision of adevice of the character described that is simple in construction,efficient in operation and one that can be manufactured and placed onthe market at a minimum cost;

Other objects as well as the nature, characteristic features and scopeof my invention will be more readily understood from the followingdescription t in connec tion with the accompanying drawings and apointed out in the claim forming a part of this specification.

lln the dawingsz- Fi re 1 is a side elevation of my invention 1n afolded position.

Fig... 2 is a front elevation of my invention in an extended position.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longi tudinal section of my inventionshowing the advantage of construction of the parts.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan of one of the blades.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section taken on line 5- 5 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which similar referencenumerals designate like and corresponding parts throughout thedifl'erent views, I provide a pair of sections 1 and 2 the latter beingprovided throughout its length with a longitudinally extending rib 3preferably dovetailed in crossed section. This rib is slidably arrangedin a longitudinally extending dovetailed groove 4 in the section 1. Inorder to hold the sections in various adjustable positions with respectto each other, 1 have embedded a plate 5 in one end of the section 2while a set screw 6 extends transversely through the blade and thesection and the rib so that the inner end will frictionally engage thebottom of the groove 3, when adjusted and thereby removably hold thesections in various positions.

For the purpose of obtaining various measurements I have bifurcated thefree ends of both of the sections to provide longitudinally extendingslots 7 the inner ends of which slots are cut diagonally as indicated bythe numeral 8 for a purpose to .be hereinafter described. The outer endof each of the sections is enlarged to provide stop shoulders 10 forlimiting the movement of the sections with respect to each other andmetallic plates 11 are secured upon opposite faces of the outer end ofthe sections as is apparent upon reference to the drawings. Receivablewithin the slots 7 are blades 12 formed of any desirable metal andhaving a width similar to the width of the sections. The outer ends ofthese blades are out diagonally as indicated by the numeral 13 when theystrike the diagonal portions 8 of the slots they will be held within theslots and in alineme'nt with the edges of the sections. The inner endsof the blades are provided'with openings 14. which have longitudinalslots 15 and communicating therewith. When the blades are arranged sothat their inner ends are positioned adjacent the outer ends of thesections 1 and 2, a clamping screw 17 is passed through openings in theplate 11 and through registering opemngs of the sections and alsothrough openin 14. Itvwill be readily apparent that by tlg tening thisclamping screw the bifurcated portions of the sections will bedrawntoward each other and also into frictional engagement with theblades 12 and consequently hold them in various positions of adjustment.When these clampingsc'rews 17 are loosened the blades may also beslidably adjusted on the ends of the sections through the medium of theslots 15.

In use, it is thought that the advantages of this invention will bereadily a parent. This is especially true in stair bui ding as the sidepieces or stringers can be inclined at the roper or desired anglewhereupon the sectlons 1 and 2 can be adjusted and held in a desiredlength on the upper edge of the stringer. Now when the clamping screw 17is loosened the blades 12 will swing downwardly to assume aperpendicular position which will indicate the angle of the riser. Theclamping screw can be tightened and the instrument used in this manneruntil the side pieces have been marked. As is apparent it is used. insomewhat the same manner as of a square. The instrument can also be usedto advantage in other capacicheaplyv manufactured and assembled and- 1when assembled can be placed upon the marinvention and that variousminor changes in detail of construction, proportion and arrangement ofthe parts may be made within the scope of the appended claim and withoutsacrificing any of the advantages of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is:

An instrument of the class described comprising two bars, one having adove-tailed rib on one face thereof and extending throughout its length,the other bar having a corresponding groove in one face thereof toreceive said rib, a thumb screw threaded in one of said bars and adaptedto frictionally engage the other so as to maintain the bars in theiradjusted position relative to each other, each of said bars having oneof its ends bifurcated and formed with an enlargement thereon to providea stop to limit the relative movement of the bars, said stops beingoppositely positioned so as to engage with the inner ends of the barsrespectively, a plurality of blades, one disposed in each of saidbifurcations and having longitudinal slots therein, and a thumb screwextending through each of said enlargements and'through the slots insaid blades for adjustably and frictionally securing the blades inposition, said blades being foldable into the bifurcation when theinstrument is in a folded position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BEN H. PRESTON.

Witnesses J. B. OMEARA, DOROTHY E. TSCHUDY.

